The death toll due to the deadly Japanese Encephalitis virus in Odisha’s Malkangiri district reached over 80, with three more children deaths on Tuesday. The death toll has reached 80 in just nearly two months. It has also raised an alarm in the neighbouring districts too.

As per the official sources, discussions with national-level experts are being held for control measures and vaccination drives will be conducted in Malkangiri in the last week of December.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is scheduled to visit Malkangiri on Friday to take stock of the situation.

The deadly disease originates from pigs and spreads to humans, mostly children, through mosquitoes. Symptoms of Japanese Encephalitis include fever, nausea and fatigue.